The anger and devastation felt by the relatives of the four Americans who died in the fatal explosion in Plaka last September were conveyed today by their lawyer, Giorgos Karapanos, who stressed that their loved ones had died over “a piece of copper worth €20”.

The lawyer representing the relatives of the Americans who died in the tragedy, Giorgos Karapanos, appeared at court earlier today, where the three arrested suspects were brought, and formally declared that he was joining the proceedings in support of the prosecution.

Speaking about the families’ initial reaction, Mr Karapanos stressed that the relatives were struggling to come to terms with the fact that they had lost their loved ones as a result of an attempted theft of copper pipes. He also accused the suspects of failing to notify the authorities, despite having discovered the natural gas leak.

“They cannot comprehend the fact that they lost their loved ones over a piece of copper worth €20 and that, even though the perpetrators realised there was a leak, they did not notify the authorities, so that this tragedy could at least have been prevented in the end,” he said.

The lawyer representing the families also raised the question of responsibility for the placement of the natural gas meter in the building, arguing that its installation point did not allow any gas leak to disperse safely.

“I consider it a given that the natural gas company also bears responsibility, as it allowed this particular meter to be installed at a location where there was no way for a leak to dissipate, regardless of how it occurred,” he said.

As he explained, the families of the American victims will formally join the proceedings in support of the prosecution, while their lawyers will obtain copies of the case file to examine all the evidence and determine whether other parties involved may also bear responsibility.

“This will be repeated today before the investigating magistrate,” he said, before the three defendants were granted an extension until Monday to prepare their statements.

“We will obtain copies of the case file and, after studying them, we will also submit requests to ensure that the case is fully investigated and that any additional responsibility on the part of people who may have been involved is established.”

“We do not yet have specific individuals in mind, and we have not yet received the case file. This is the first time we have had direct access to the entire file, given that the main judicial investigation is now under way. As the process progresses, we will obtain and study the file, and any individuals found to be involved will face legal action,” he noted.

The three defendants have been given until noon on Monday to appear before the investigating magistrate and give their statements. They are two Greek nationals and one Albanian national, who were arrested under warrants following the completion of the Fire Service’s investigation.

According to the findings of the investigation, the explosion was caused by sabotage of the natural gas installation’s pipework in an attempt to steal copper pipes.

Six people were killed in the explosion and the collapse of the building. Among the victims were two young American couples, one of the women being pregnant, as well as an elderly couple consisting of a Greek woman and her British husband.

The three suspects face charges of:

• Arson that endangered a person and resulted in the death of others, committed intentionally and jointly.
• Causing an explosion that endangered a person and resulted in the death of others, committed intentionally and jointly.
• Multiple counts of homicide with conditional intent, committed jointly.
• Multiple counts of causing dangerous bodily harm, committed jointly.